This blog is a reflective journal that looks at my teaching practices and what I am learning; its goal is to inspire and motivate other teachers to inspire and motivate their students!

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Powerful Questions to Get Students Thinking

I don't take credit for these questions, but just think how effective they can be in pretty much any discipline at school. I have them posted and ask them to my students often. My next job is to make sure each student has their own copy laminated and put on their own desk so they can ask each other the questions as they plan, discuss, ponder and create together.

I started off using them during math instructional time, often in a think-pair-share situation, sometimes in a whole group discussion, and sometimes with an individual student who is working through a challenge.

What about using this when defending your point of view in a debate? How about using it to structure an essay? How about as a pre-assessment when you want to find out what students know about a particular concept or skill? How about as a simple summative task at the end of a unit, using the Lines of Inquiry to frame your questions?

You can use these questions as a teacher of five year olds or as a teacher of twelfth graders, equally effectively. They transcend age and topic. In fact, you can use them in your business or in a family discussion.